Political Morality in a Disenchanted World
By (author) Edmund Abegg
Not available to order
Publication date:
20 June 2013Length of book:
260 pagesPublisher
UPAISBN-13: 9780761861539
Political morality concerns what programs and policies government ought to adopt. What would this morality look like in a disenchanted world, one in which rationality prevails? The enchanted world is extensive, including not just religion but traditional morality.
In this book, Edmund Abegg constructs a coherent path that leads from abstract psychological and moral theory to ideal political and economic scenarios and then to their real-world applications, which for him are in terms of national political goals. These goals, individual autonomy and welfare, function as political morality in this new framework in place of traditional mythical ideas such as justice. Descriptive chapters on our current world indicate that these goals are in play, if only partly.
Concerning these national moral-political goals, which may be domestic or international, the crucial distinction he seeks to establish is between aggregated or big-picture goals and individualized goals. The latter are typically seen as establishing individual rights.
This book establishes a framework that clarifies important public policy issues in a way not possible if a jungle growth of myth envelopes our efforts with confusion and unnecessary controversies.
In this book, Edmund Abegg constructs a coherent path that leads from abstract psychological and moral theory to ideal political and economic scenarios and then to their real-world applications, which for him are in terms of national political goals. These goals, individual autonomy and welfare, function as political morality in this new framework in place of traditional mythical ideas such as justice. Descriptive chapters on our current world indicate that these goals are in play, if only partly.
Concerning these national moral-political goals, which may be domestic or international, the crucial distinction he seeks to establish is between aggregated or big-picture goals and individualized goals. The latter are typically seen as establishing individual rights.
This book establishes a framework that clarifies important public policy issues in a way not possible if a jungle growth of myth envelopes our efforts with confusion and unnecessary controversies.
Political Morality in a Disenchanted World is an impressive effort to place moral and political life on a firm but realistic foundation, one that is less vulnerable than traditional moral foundations to appropriation by dogmatists for purposes that too often turn violent or exploitative.